How To Leave Your Dog Home Alone, 100% Stress-Free

Leaving dogs home alone can be heartrending. Dogs see us as members of their pack, but it’s not always possible (sadly) to spend all of our time with our furry pals – especially when you’ve got work, on holiday, or if the sitter cancelled last minute. Which is why it’s best to teach our dogs while they’re still puppies that being home alone is not a big deal.

So how to keep your pup happy and safe when you’re not around? How long is too long to leave your dog home alone? And how can you best keep an eye on them when you’re not around? Let’s get started.

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How long is too long when leaving a dog home alone?

How long your dog can safely stay home alone depends a lot on their age, personality, and emotional and physical needs. But in general: try to keep the time that your dog is left home alone to a minimum. Even the most well-adjusted dogs may become distressed if they are left home alone for too long.¹

Here are some general recommendations for how long you can leave your dog home alone, based on age:

What to consider before leaving your dog home alone

Before you head outdoors, keep in mind these factors that can affect how long you can leave your dog home alone:

• Age
• Health condition and issues
• Emotional needs, including whether they have separation anxiety
• Training and behavior
• Potty breaks – and your dog’s bladder control
• Feeding times
• Exercise and activity
• Socialization
• Other animals in the house
• Whether your dog has enough food when left alone
• What your dog has to keep them occupied while you’re gone

What can happen when your dog is left home alone?

For some dogs, being left home alone might be no big deal. For others, it may lead to one or more of the following distressing behaviors, which might indicate that your dog is bored, anxious or stressed out by being home alone.

• Scratching
• Biting
• Chewing on furniture and clothes
• Binge eating
• Getting lost
• Whining, howling, and barking
• Urination
• Running away

3 things to do before leaving dogs home alone

When you leave the house for work or leisure without your dog, you should first do the following:

• Leave your dog in an area where they feel comfortable. Once your buddy gets more used to being left alone at home, they can then be on their own without any restriction.
• Exercise your dog with a long walk or vigorous playtime. This can ensure they might just sleep off most of your absence.
• Regular training can also help your dog get both a physical and mental workout – and keep their obedience skills sharp over time.

How to train your dog to be home alone

Proper training is essential when teaching your dog to be home alone – as early as when you first bring them home. In these cases, practice the “Leave and return” scenario. This will help teach your pup that being home alone is safe and a-okay – and that you WILL come back.

Here are some steps to get you started:

• Put your shoes on and go to the door.
• If you notice your dog panicking, try to ignore it, so they get used to it.
• Repeat this action at least 3 times every day.
• As soon as you come back home, avoid giving your dog a warm welcome immediately at the door. Doing this will send your puppy the signal that coming home is just a normal, business-as-usual thing. Not an event worth celebrating (though deep down in your heart, you know it is!)
• After arriving home, command your dog to “Sit.” After they follow your command and settle down, welcome them calmly and let them feel your affection.

“When leaving home, if I say goodbye to my dogs, they want to come with me.

So I just leave without saying anything – and they’re OK with it!“

– Marina Selinger, UX Designer at Tractive & certified dog trainer

Tips to keep your dog busy at home when you’re not around

Try to make sure your dog has fun ways to occupy their time. If your dog is not used to being home alone, here are some tips that can help make their time more enjoyable:

• Use food-dispensing toys instead of the classic food bowl. Some of these toys offer variable difficulty levels so you can make it a long-lasting project and keep your dog active and engaged during the time you’re away.
• Leave the TV or radio on for your dog if it may be soothing to them. Or try a YouTube video that’s designed for dogs.
• Leave your dog small tasks and fun toys to play with when you’re not around to avoid unwanted boredom behavior (like biting and peeing in inappropriate places). However, never leave your dog alone with a toy that could be chewed apart and swallowed.
• Consider adding a second pet to the family so your dog isn’t bored when you’re not there.
• When you return home from leaving your dog home alone, dedicate some time to your pup and don’t hold back with the love and attention.

Remember: getting your dog used to you leaving and returning home is the best way to help them learn not to freak out once you do need to be away!

How can I keep an eye on my dog while I’m away?

As much as we’d love to be with our dogs 24/7, it just isn’t possible 100% of the time. But thankfully, you do have a couple of options to ensure your buddy is safe and happy even when you’re not around. Here are a couple:

Set up a pet camera

With a pet camera, you can check in on your dog throughout the day (and even dispense treats!) via a live video stream. Some even include two-way audio so you can talk to your dog and they can hear your voice. Pet cameras are a great way to keep an eye on your dog’s activity and behavior, especially when you’re at work or running errands.

Just be mindful that not all dogs might react so positively to your disembodied voice. (Like if your pet camera doesn’t include a visual of you.) Some might even spook or feel scared or anxious if they can hear you, but can’t see you! So if you want to invest in a pet camera, consider getting one that includes a webcam where your dog can see you and feel more comforted.

Hire a trusted dog walker or sitter

When you’ll be gone for extended periods, a professional dog walker or sitter can give your dog some company, keep them walked and exercised, and help them feel less lonely. If a pro isn’t in your budget, try and get a friend, neighbor, or family member to check up on them periodically. (Especially for potty breaks.)

If your dog has a GPS tracker strapped to their collar, the sitter can even share their real-time location with you – so you can check where your dog is with just a glance at your phone.

Use a GPS tracker with integrated Bark Monitoring

If your dog has separation anxiety, a GPS tracker can help provide an extra pair of eyes (and ears) on their activity and even barking when you’re not around.

Strapped to your dog’s collar, your trusty Tractive GPS comes with a built-in volume sensor to pick up on changes in your dog’s vocalization. For example, if your dog tends to bark out of anxiety (compared to regular barking), your tracker can alert you if it’s excessive or accompanied with other signs of separation anxiety, like restless pacing.

And that’s not all. With a Tractive device, you can also:

• Set up a “safe zone” around your home and backyard – and get an escape alert if your buddy ventures past it.
• Track your dog’s movements in real-time and over an unlimited range, in case they do escape home and end up bolting.
• Share your dog’s real-time location with friends, family, and neighbors. (Or vice versa.)
• Figure out your dog’s most frequented spots via their Heat Map and Location History.
• Keep track of your dog’s sleep and activity minutes – and pick up on to a change that much quicker.

All this in one device – built with love for dogs and for your peace of mind as a dog parent.

“Absolutely love this tracker. It gives us peace of mind when we leave them home alone and also gives great insights on their activity and sleep levels.

I’m comforted knowing that if they started acting strangely or the data shifted drastically that we could take them to the vet potentially before we would notice something wrong. Can’t recommend this tracker enough!”

– Eva, US (Source: Trustpilot)

Always know where your dog is

Follow every step in real-time with unlimited range. Get alerts if they wander too far. Keep them happy & healthy with Wellness Monitoring. And let others – like walkers or sitters – keep an eye on your dog too.

Discover Tractive GPS

Want to leave your dog home alone safely but running out of ideas to keep them busy? Here’s a short, sweet video for some more inspo:

And if you’ve liked what you’ve read, share it with a friend or a loved one – and let’s help build a safer, kinder world for our furry friends together.